A Cariad Life

Since we started on this journey of moving to France, we have had many loved ones–family, friends, co-workers–ask us questions about the process. This blog has been one of the ways I could reflect on those questions and try to share our hearts about this adventure and the heart journey I have been on. Thank…

Every part of this journey has stages that are recurring and these appear to be the two most common: a mad rush to meet a deadline and then a wait. Currently, we are waiting to hear back about our visa applications, which are in DC at the French Consulate for review. I am learning to…

Last week was quite an adventure! First, on Thursday, in the midst of trying to finalize our visa application documents, we gave our sweet Coco lots of love and loaded her (and her huge amount of stuff) in Noah’s Jeep. She has been with us for 11 years, and I am still not used to…

When I was a little girl growing up in North Carolina, we lived in a big old house that although was charming was also very hot in the summer as we had no air conditioning at the time. Our home was surrounded by tall, leafy maple and pecan trees, and the maple trees in particular…

Today…everything became more real…we bought our one-way plane tickets to France. In 77 days, on December 6, 2022, we will board our flight to Paris from JFK in New York City and land the next morning at 8am. We’ll then take a connecting flight (AirFrance) to Bordeaux and from there we will rent a car…

We all have those moments–it could be a conversation, an interaction, a smell, or a glimpse of something–that says, yes, this is it. A moment when something new feels right, feels like home, feels connected to some part of who we are, what we dream about, and what we hope for. I call those moments,…

It is certainly time for an update…to recap, on Friday, September 2, we made an offer on the Bed and Breakfast we visited in France in June. Since May, we have been corresponding with the sellers, who in the last 12 years bought, restored, started and operated Repos a’ Riberac in Southwest France, and we…

Yesterday, we sent many of the required documents to the notaire in France to begin the contract process…In France, those documents include copies of our birth certificates, passports, and marriage certificate. Another new experience… In addition, we wired our 10% down payment, which will be in an escrow account with the notaire. Fortunately, the exchange…

Just typing that date means it is our oldest son’s birthday–22! Wow–time really does fly! We are so proud of him and how grounded he is. Noah has just finished his last interview with a tech company, has a sweet girlfriend, and is enjoying life in his new house (with 7 other guys). Ah…the life…

Two days ago, our house closed…the final belongings that we can’t quite yet part with were taken to our storage space in Bellingham, which is also mostly filled with our boys’ remaining belongings while they are also in transition. We drove away from the house and within a few hours the new owner was moving…